ARTICLES ABOUT EDUCATION BY DATE - PAGE 2

The East Penn School District's Fall 2014 Community Education classes are open for registration. To view class offerings and register, click here . A PDF of the class listings, including descriptions, is located on the right hand side of the page in a green box labeled Class Descriptions (PDF). The registration deadline is August 24th and most of the classes begin the week of September 8 t h .

I could not agree more with the letter to the editor by Robert Grimes about excessive school taxes. As an East Penn School District resident, my school taxes keep rising, with no end in sight. After driving by Emmaus High School and seeing the state-of-the-art athletic fields, I ask myself if all these fields are necessary. I suggest that state politicians get moving on Senate Bill 76 to replace the school property tax. Why not develop a fair way of paying school taxes, such as using the sales tax or casino revenue?

Young children are innately curious. They ask questions about how things work, and they explore the natural world around them. These days, we use the acronym STEM to describe the science, technology, engineering and mathematics driving our economy, but for young children, it's as basic as learning that one plus one equals two, or getting an answer to the question, "Why is the sky blue?" Unfortunately, many of our young children don't have the opportunity to satisfy their curiosity in a positive way. The disadvantaged — those at risk of failing in school due to adversity — can be 18 months behind their peers in development by the time they enter kindergarten.

By Meghan Moravcik Walbert, Special to The Morning Call | July 4, 2014

Small classes. Lots of face time with professors. Lively debates on the humanities. These have long been the hallmark of liberal arts colleges. They're also the reason that such schools have resisted what has become a staple on many college campuses: online education. But with a student body now populated by so-called digital natives, schools like Moravian, Muhlenberg and Lafayette colleges have begun dipping their toes into the digital learning waters. This summer, Muhlenberg is offering its first fully online course - in astronomy - and educators are working to create blended versions of two other courses, in religion and art history.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Wolf toured Martin Guitar on Tuesday, highlighting where the sixth-generation Nazareth-area manufacturer and his own family business overlap. Wolf stressed the importance of a skilled workforce able to meet the needs of advanced manufacturing, a centerpiece of his Made in Pennsylvania manufacturing plan. "We have the ingredients to figure out how to create a cradle-to-grave education system that reflects the needs of a 21st century society," he said.

WASHINGTON — School administrators seeking to reduce district energy costs could have an easier time finding and navigating federal assistance programs under a bill from U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright that passed in the House on Monday. The legislation would direct the Department of Energy to collect and distribute information on federal energy-efficiency programs and financing tools that are sprinkled through various agencies. Cartwright, a first-term Democrat who represents Easton and northeastern parts of Northampton County, said there are numerous federal initiatives aimed at helping schools with energy projects.

Five-year-old Matthew Atkinson stood on the bank of the Little Lehigh Creek, nervously adjusting his 44-inch frame in disbelief at what was happening. In his first try at fly-fishing, a beautiful 14-inch trout found its way to his line. "Mom, I caught a fish — a big one," he said into the speaker of his father Omar's cellphone. "I was going to bring it home to you, but I put it back for someone else to catch. I like fishing. " With that, the Lower Macungie boy was hooked. And that was the point of the fly-fishing camp Saturday at Camp Olympic Park.

The 2014 Easton Area High School recipients of the Dave Colver Technology Education Scholarships are seniors Connor Mellett, Michael McCallops and Rebecca Nathanson. Each graduating senior will receive a check for $500 for their performance in their field and course of study at Easton Area High School. Mellett will join the United States Naval Academy for aeronautical engineering, McCallops will attend Penn State University for mechanical engineering and Nathanson will study mechanical engineering at Clarkson University.

Remarkable things are happening in Allentown with the Neighborhood Improvement Zone. Many people contributed their political clout and/or resources in the extreme to make this possible. Thank you! However, there is one overriding challenge that threatens everything: an education system that fails to prepare too many students for success in today's economy. This is bad for those kids and for our community that needs their skills and future tax dollars. Many dedicated educators, business leaders, school board members, nonprofits and others have made efforts to address this challenge for a decade or more.

By Patrick Lester and Dan Sheehan, Of The Morning Call | June 14, 2014

From its distinguished alumni - CEOs, well-known authors, professional actors - to its enviable test scores and championship sports teams, the Parkland School District glows with an aura of affluence and privilege. But amid its McMansions, backyard pools and pristine parks lies a different Parkland, one that has long been hidden but is emerging, family by family, into view. It's the Parkland of the poor. Over the past five years, the district has seen a dramatic rise in the number of students living in poverty.